


Was That Not Obvious?

by twoseas



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Steve Rogers, Domestic Avengers, Getting Together, Happy Avengers, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Natasha Romanov Knows All, Some Swearing, the Wanda/Vision is very very light, they're happy and together what can I say
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 22:44:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13774167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoseas/pseuds/twoseas
Summary: When some of the Avengers gather to watch Steve in one of his rare interviews, they don't expect to hear him confirm his love for his best friend. However, that's exactly what Steve does.If only he had told Bucky at literally any point.





	Was That Not Obvious?

**Author's Note:**

> Steve is so terrible at lying and he's so expressive. I liked the idea that he just kind of assumed he had no secrets about his feelings. Literally never tried hiding his love for Bucky. He figured Bucky and the world knew and that Bucky was just being super chill about it so why not say it on tv. Perfect logic.
> 
> I'm trying to write my way out of my writers block using fanfic and I don't know if it's helping. But hey, here's some Stucky.

Natasha grabbed a bowl of popcorn, folding her legs gracefully underneath her as she sat on the couch. “Friday, can you pull up Steve’s interview?”

“Of course, Ms Romanov.”

The gathered Avengers perked up, migrating towards the couch as Friday projected what looked like the stage of a small lecture hall. A woman was sitting in a chair, a two seater sitting empty next to her, and she fiddled with some cards in her lap. 

“Cap’s doing an interview? Why didn’t I hear about this?” Tony dropped dramatically into a chair, his eyebrow raised at Natasha. 

Holding the bowl out in offering, Natasha shrugged. “He didn’t want anyone to know. He figured today was our first day off after weeks of the usual ridiculous terror and doom and gloom. He didn’t want us wasting it ‘watching him talk all day’ or something equally stupid and very Steve.”

“Or he knew we’d make fun of him,” Sam pointed out with a lopsided grin. 

“He most definitely knew,” Wanda snickered as she crawled into Vision’s lap. Vision, for his part, merely wrapped his arms around her without a word.

“He might’ve mentioned that when I asked,” Natasha said slyly, a light smile curling at a corner of her mouth. 

“Why’d you know?” Tony complained, crossing his arms. 

“How does Nat know anything?” Dropping next to Natasha with easy familiarity, Clint grabbed a handful of popcorn, throwing kernels into the air and catching them in his mouth with unerring skill. 

Cleaning his glasses on his shirt, Bruce watched as a scholarly looking woman took her seat beside the other woman, the audience audibly getting more excited. “Oh, this is for that book. I recognize Dr. Dugan.”

Bucky moved a small increment closer to the group, eyes widening infinitesimally. “Dugan?”

“A grandniece, sort of,” Natasha explained. “She’s one of the foremost scholars of the second World War. She credits her interest in the time period to family stories. She’s absolutely brilliant by all accounts. I really liked her book on Hollywood’s role in the war effort and her biography of Margaret Carter is a masterpiece.”

“What the hell,” Bucky whispered feelingly to himself. He took his seat in an empty chair, gaze riveted on the woman. 

“Steve has arrived!” Thor trilled, sitting heavily on the floor with a wide grin. “It begins!”

They all grew quiet but for the soft crunching of popcorn as a familiar figure took his seat beside Dr. Dugan. 

 

As the interview started to wind down, the interviewer focused with almost disturbing intensity on Steve. 

“Captain Rogers,” she began. “As you’ve always been rather private, it came as some shock to the public when it was announced you would be writing a foreword to Dr. Dugan’s historical account. This is only the second book you’ve given your explicit approval, the first being Dr. Dugan’s biography of Margaret Carter. In fact, you were rather forceful in your condemnation of other books claiming to tell your story and the stories of your colleagues. What is it about this book that led to your direct involvement?”

Steve smiled warmly at the woman next to him. “Dr. Dugan’s work, while occasionally too flattering towards me, I’ll admit, is arguably the most accurate I’ve ever read. And I’ve read them all. I had to back something so committed to telling the truth of what happened, especially when there were so many false histories wasting space on people’s bookshelves.”

“I’m sure my relationship to Dum Dum didn’t hurt,” Dr. Dugan laughed teasingly. 

“It definitely was an attention grabber,” Steve chuckled, both women joining in briefly. 

“Now,” the interviewer’s intensity seemed to double. “Please tell me if I’m crossing a line, but I would be remiss in leaving this matter unaddressed. Dr. Dugan, your book tackles a subject that has been a matter of great contention between scholars for many decades.”

“Ah, the elephant in the room,” Dr. Dugan chuckled evilly. 

Steve squirmed in his seat, hand scratching the back of his neck. “Oh, boy.”

The audience chuckled and tittered. 

“Yes,” the interviewer nodded. “Your relationship to James Barnes has been a hot topic, especially in recent years. Dr. Dugan, you write that while there was no romantic relationship between Steve and James Barnes, Steve was in love with him. Steve, your endorsement of her work does come across as a confirmation of this theory.”

Steve’s let out an exhale and a rather self-deprecating smile. “Well, yeah. I kind of assumed everyone knew it too.”

The audience gasped and a few members whooped before being shushed by the rest of the crowd. 

The interviewer looked as if she had struck gold and was ready to mine it. “With the reveal of your sexuality at last year’s Pride right here in New York City, the speculation about your relationships to both Carter and Barnes reached new heights. Do you care to set the record straight?”

Steve huffed. “There isn’t anything straight about it, is there?”

The audience laughed, Dr. Dugan covering her mouth to partially hide her cheshire cat like grin. Steve sobered, his arch smile turning to a flat line.

“Peggy and Bucky were, and still are, two of the most important people in my life,” Steve sighed a little longingly. “I’m willing to credit nearly every good thing about me to them. Well, them and my mother. They both saw me. All of me. Not the glorified Captain America image. Just Steve who was wrong and dramatic and stupidly reckless a lot of the time. They kept me in line, they made me better. On top of that, they were two of the greatest people in every way. I would be stupid not to love them both fiercely.”

Dr. Dugan smiled softly, a tender look overtaking her features. “Great Uncle Dum Dum used to say that while Peggy was Steve’s best girl, Bucky was his best fella.”

“Dum Dum was always deceptively perceptive,” Steve laughed. 

The interviewer glanced at something just to the side of the camera. “I’m sorry, but we’re getting the signal to wrap up and at the worst time too. Thank you so much, Dr. Dugan, Captain Rogers. It was an honor and a delight to speak with you both. Dr. Dugan’s book,  _ More Than Just The Star Spangled Man _ , is out now. Thank you all for watching!”

 

The interview ended and Friday cut off the projection, leaving the gathered Avengers in silence. 

As one, they all turned to Bucky, the man looking as if he had been smacked across the face with Steve’s shield. 

“What the fuck,” he demanded. 

 

Steve didn’t get back to the Avengers complex until late that night, practically the next morning. Tired from the travel and interview, he shuffled towards his room. Shucking off his jacket, Steve yawned out a request, barely registering that his lights were already on as he closed the door. “Hey, Friday, could you start the shower?”

“Of course, Captain Rogers. Also, sir, you have a-”

“What the fuck, Steve!” 

Friday cut through Bucky’s yell. “-visitor.”

“Bucky?” Steve tilted his head in confusion. Bucky was in his room, pacing up and down like he wanted to wear a trail into the floor. 

“Don’t you Bucky me!” Pointing a condemning finger at Steve, Bucky stalked forward. “What the hell was that interview today?”

“Natasha put it on in the living room, didn’t she?” Steve sighed, tossing his jacket onto his chair. “I guess it was too much to hope that she wouldn’t like I asked.”

“Yeah, not really the point here, pal,” Bucky scoffed. 

“What?” Steve focused more, brow furrowing at Bucky’s agitation. A blush slowly turned his fair face pink. “Ah. I mean, I guess it’s kind of awkward, me saying it out loud for the public like that.”

“You don’t think!”

Steve rocked on his heels. “Sorry, Buck. I guess I should have asked your permission first. I figured since it was basically only me telling the truth and you already knew all that-”

“What?!” Bucky grabbed Steve by the shoulders, shaking him. “What are you even saying?”

“Why are you so-” Steve froze, entire body going unnaturally still under Bucky’s agitated hands. “Bucky, did you not know?”

“Of course I didn’t!” Bucky shook him even harder. 

Steve started to laugh.

“Stop laughing, this is serious, you asshole!”

“I’m sorry-” Steve gasped, face red and voice choked by hysterical laughter. “I’m really, really sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. B-but, Buck, I really thought you knew! I was, oh my god, I was so obvious. How did you not know?”

Steve laughed even more, unable to contain himself. 

Bucky release his shoulders and glared. “Seriously, Steve. Why did you think I knew?”

“Well, I drew you a lot, Buck. Almost too much. And I stared at you a lot. Also too much. I never looked at any other person when you were around. I snuck off during all those double dates you tried to set me up on. I kind of defied the US government to find you more than once. And I mean, you caught me kissing that boy from my art class, so you knew I wasn’t exactly the straightest of laces.”

“Wh-what?” Bucky blinked before sitting heavily on Steve’s bed. “I caught you kissing who?”

“Jack, from class? He was moving and he came to the apartment to say goodbye. He kissed me and you walked in not a second later?”

Bucky stared helplessly up at Steve. “I never caught you kissing him. I thought you guys were just hugging.”

Steve started laughing again. “Oh my god, Buck.”

“Stop. Laughing. You. Punk.” Punctuating each word with a punch to Steve’s arm, Bucky practically wailed. “What’s even happening?”

Exhausted, confused, and unable to get his heart to stop racing, Bucky threw himself back, laying on Steve’s bed and staring up at the ceiling.

“Bucky,” Steve’s laughter subsided and his tone was achingly gentle. The bed dipped as Steve sat down next to Bucky. “You know that none of this changes anything, right? I’m still your best friend. I’m still going to act the same.”

“You said you loved me,” Bucky breathed out, hiding his vulnerability as best as he could. “And you meant it.”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” Steve said. 

“But you also loved Carter.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“You loved both of us.”

“I feel like I’ve confirmed this too many times.”

“Shut up, it’s just...I’m trying to make sense of things. Like where was the overlap? When did you stop loving me and start loving her?”

Steve laughed, this one sad and breathy rather than maniacal and uncontrolled. “Bucky, there wasn’t ever any overlap. I love her. And I love you.”

Bucky stifled a sob as his heart gave a violent shudder. “You still love me?”

“Was that not obvious either?” Steve’s tone was careful, unsure, and completely earnest. 

“Jesus Christ, Steve.” Tears welled in Bucky’s eyes, blurring his vision. “You’re such a dick. You’re supposed to tell me you love me before you tell the Public Broadcasting Service.”

“Even though I thought you knew?”

“Especially then. You’re such a shit communicator, Steve.” Bucky sat up, meeting Steve’s now concerned and somber gaze. “Why didn’t you tell me? Then or now. Did you think I’d reject you or something?”

“Yes,” Steve answered slowly. He frowned, eyebrows scrunching together. “What would be the point of me telling you? Why would you want to be with me?”

“God, you’re dumb as a box of rocks.”

Bucky grabbed Steve by the front of his shirt, pulling him down into a searing kiss. Steve went easily, groaning as Bucky nipped and sucked at his bottom lip. The bottom lip that had tormented Bucky since they were fifteen-fucking-years-old. But it was his now, Bucky decided as he slid his tongue into Steve’s eager mouth. All of this was his. 

They parted on a gasp. Steve stared at him, wearing the same stunned look that Bucky had worn after the interview. It broke into a look of awe, Steve’s lips pulling into a wide grin. 

“So you love me too?”

Bucky rolled his eyes and pulled Steve back in to whisper against his lips. “Was that not obvious?”

 

The next morning, Bucky and Steve stumbled into the kitchen in search of coffee and food. The collected Avengers watched with amused expressions as they grabbed breakfast and disappeared back towards Steve’s bedroom without a word of greeting for the others. 

“Told you guys,” Natasha purred smugly. 

“I really thought he was going to kill him,” Tony whispered. “He seemed so murderous when he stomped off.”

“Frustrated,” Sam whispered right back. “Not murderous.”

“Sexually frustrated,” Wanda snorted, offering Vision a sip of her tea even though he didn’t exactly need it. 

“Those hickeys were most impressive,” Thor noted. “The scratches on Barnes’ back as well. Their love making must have been a joyously rough affair.”

“Shouldn’t they have both healed already?” Tony stared off into the distance. “They’ve got super healing. Those should be gone by now.”

Natasha crossed her legs and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Only if they happened last night. If they happened just a few minutes ago, however…”

“Nice,” Clint mumbled into his coffee, high fiving Natasha without looking. 

 

“They’re definitely talking about us,” Steve told Bucky as he stuffed a piece of bacon in his mouth before offering one to Bucky.

Eating out of Steve’s hand, Bucky rolled his eyes. “You announced our love on camera, Steve. I don’t think there’s a person in this country not talking about us.” 

“Technically, I only announced my love.”

“Shut up, Steve.”

“I’m pointing out facts here, Buck.”

“Dumb facts from your dumb face.”

“You’re gonna make me faint with all that sweet talk.”

“Shut. Up. Steve.” Bucky punctuated his words with kisses. 

“Kiss me some more and I might consider it.”

“Deal.”

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
